Conveyer-truck.



vc.E.nRuM.

CONVEYER TRUCK,

APPglcATmN FILED MAR. 22, 1911.

l RWM 5U@ Patented June 25, 1918 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

C. E. DRUIVI. com/EVER TRUCK, APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22.1917.

' Patented June 25, 1918 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. E. DUM. CONVEYER TRUCK. APPLICATION HL'En MAR.22,1911.

Patened June 25, 1918 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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CHMLES E. DRUM, GEDETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T SPRINGFIELD BODY CORPO-BTION 0F NW YORK, NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION 03F NEW YORK.

CNVEYER-TRUCK.

Sp'ecieation of Letters Patent.

rammed aan@ es, una

.application lcd March 22, 1917. Serial No. 156,585.

My invention has particular reference to the manufacture of automobilebodies and bil embodies features of value. for this particular kind ofwork. The so called cham method or continuous movementmethod ofmanufacture is Widely used in certain classes'.

of manufacturing work, such for instance, as the assembling ofrautomobile chassis. but the conditions underwvhich such work is doneand the manner by which the \.ork is moved through the. factory are.altogether inapplicable to the conditions of automobile `bodymanufacture. ln manufacturing automobile bodies it is necessary toarrange the moving mechanism so that. intermittent movement of the workmay be secured, and that the periods of rest of the work may within alimited extent, be varied aty the will of the workmen. This is necessaryas the operations performed b v each crew of workmen each requireconsiderably more time than the operations performed by the crews inother classes of chain manufacturingr as, for instance. assemblingautomobile chassis and it is, therefore. impossible to use a con--stantly moving belt upon which the work is mounted, as is sometimes thepractice, or to move the work along from crew to crew vat certaindefinite time intervals, as is sometimes also done.

Furthermore, in manufacturing automobile bodies, it is necessary thatthe working crews have full and immediate access to all parts of thebody, since work mustl be performed upon the top, sides` back and bottomof the body. The fact. that an automobile body is such. a large andunweldly piece of work and the further fact that the crews performingthe Work must of necessity stand at either side of path of movement ofthe work, introduces many problems which are not found in ordinarymanufacturing. i l

l aim to provide a mechanism which will meet the requirements aboveoutlined. and will produce the desired movements of the work with theminimum effort on the part of the workmen.

lln the drawings, `Figure 1 is a side view of `my improved convevertruck: Fig. 2 is an end view thereof and Fig. 3 is a view of theopposite end' thereof. partly in section.

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Referring to the drawings. it will be seen that. my improved convevertruck is mounted uponira'ils 1. which it will be understood extendthroughout tha't portion of the factory in which the labor upon the.work mounted upon the truck is performed. and is adapted to be moved bva constantly moving chain` belt or cable '2. The truck eonsistsessentially of a longitudinal shaft 3.

lhaving mounted adjacent its 4ends. voltes 4 and 5. Yokes 4 and 5 areprovided with depending arms adjacent the extremities of which aremounted the supporting wheels 5a. which rest upon tracks l. Mounted uponthe longitudinal shaft is a supporting voke 6 carrying a spider 7.having a horizontally disposed flange S. upon which rests a sup-.porting ring 9 mounted upon the underside of the platform 10. .The workrests upon platform 10 and is -clamped thereon by means of clamps 11which are fastened to the platform 10 by means of bolts 12 and handwheels 13.

One end ofthe supporting yoke G is journaled upon shaft 3 and the otherend is fixed to thesleeve 14. which surrounds shaft 3 and is supportedby means of suitable bearings 15. At the end of sleeve 14 nearest volte5 is mounted a pinion 1G keyed to sleeve 14 and engaged by a worm 17mounted upon a transverse shaft 1S. Transverse shaft 18 carries abeveled gear 19 which is engaged by a beveled pinion 20 mounted upon androtating with a longitudinal shaft. 21. Attached to shaft Q1 is a handwheel Q12. lt will thus be seen that a rotation of the hand wheel 2Qproduces rotation of the beveled pinions 19 and 20 and consequently therotation of the sleeve 1li about the shaft- 3, thus tilting the platform10 to any de uio ' tion oi' irl-"ig, 2. A.

sired extentc The pitch of the Worm and pinion is such' that theplatform will be held in sny position to which it is tilted.

Rotation of the Work in the plane of the niaticrm is produced by thesliding of the icaring ring 9 upon the ange 8 of the spider i', end itwill be seen that this rotar.

tion may be produced irrespective of the position. to which the platformhas been tiitsd by the movement of the' hand wheel 22, Attached to theunderside of the bear- 9 is adjusting ring 23 held to the bearing; ring`by means of boite 2e, so the pressure ofthe bearing ring 9 upon theiange of?? the spider may be' varied by tightening the bolts 24k. y

vounted upon `the forward end 'of the conveyer truck (see Figs. l and2'), is s. sprocket 25, constantly in engagement with t ie moving chain2 and mounted to freely rotate upon its shaft 28, which is attached toyoke s by means of bracket 27. Sprocket 25 is thus constantly rotatingyWhile the truck is at Carried by sprocket 25 and rotated by it are apair of projections 28 which may be enea-ged by dog 29 shown in thedrawings in t e form of a shaft adapted to siide through .apertures inbracket 27 and in boss S0. Y'li/ioveinent of the dog 29 is produced. byAsans of an oscillating han- 31, i yoke i at 32 und bear- .'x

use ce is ed upon yoke 14. and interposed battre n this boss and thecoli-ar 38 a' adapted to return the dog 2i) and t ie handie Si. to theirnormai position in which 29 is out ofengagement with the projections 28.

When the handle 31 is moved to lthe dotted line position, dog 29 Wili bemoved in the path of movement of projections 28, and Wiil thus arrestthe movement of the sprocket. This causes the truck to be drawn .alongby the movement of the chain 2 to the station of the next crew ofWorkmen, Where the truck is brought to arrest by movement of the ieverSi., back to the inli iine pesifr detent 38 is provided to assist inholding the dog 29 in engagement Withthe projections 28.

if desired cam shaped trippers 37 may beV connected to the Hoor at apoint adjacent to the stations oi' the crews of workmen, so that themovement of the conveying truck will be automatically arrested at theproper points. 'I

Vifhiie it have shown only one medidostion of my invention, I do notintend to conne myself thereto, as it is evident that many changes inform may be made Without departing from the spirit ot' my inven tion.

What it' claim is:

l. A conveyor truck comprising a pluraloi' supporting vvheels, apiatiform, positively acting "lar pinned dog Larsson means for titingthe latorm aboutv the ongitudinal axis of tie truck and for holding itin the tiited position and means for rotating the platform in its planeirrespective of the position it is caused to occupy by the tiltingmeans.

2. A conveyor truck, comprising a longitudinal shaft, platform mountedthereon, a sleeve surrounding the. shaft and connected tothe platformand means for iototing the sieeve-about the shaftand for holding it berotated.

` 3. A conveyor truck, comprisinor a longitudinai shaft, a platformmounted thereon, a sleeve surrounding the shaft and connected thereto atone end, a pinion carried by the opposite end of the sleeve and a wormengaging the pinion and adapted by its 1'0- tation to cause rotation ofthe sleeve.

d., A conveyor truck, comprising a longitudinal shaft, a pair oftransversely disposed yokes attached to the shaft adj scent its ends,

jacent their extremities, a platform mounted upon the shaft and adaptedto be tilted about it and. means perniitting the rotation of theplatform in its plane irrespective of the position to 4which it istilted.

5. A conveyor truck, comprising a tiltably mounted piati'oim, a 'nearingring carried upon the underside thereof, flanged supporting soider of,the i* bearings n and adapted the bearing1 ring with adjustablepressure.

G. A conveyor truck, comprising a longitudinal shaft, a supporting yokemounted upon the shaft and adapted' to ybe tilted a out it, a supportingspider carried by the yoke and having circular flange, a plutform., abearing rin side thereof and e( aptcd to rest upon the Harige of thesupporting spider and a clamping ring adapted to force the Hangs uponthe spider into engagement With the bearing ring with adjustablepressure.

ii. in a device of the kind described, a conveyer truck, a sprocketmounted upon the truck and adapted to freely rotate, a chain engaged bythe sprocket, :i projection carried by the'sprock'et and adapted to berotated with. it and a dog adapted to be moved into the path of movementof the projection, to lock the sprocket against rotation.

8. iin a device of the kind described a moving chain, a movable truck, asprocket mounted thereon and adapted to be freely i'otated'by themovement of the chain, a projection carried by the sprocket and rotatedwith it, a dog adapted to be moved into the path of movement of theprojection to arrest the rotation of the sprocket, a pivotcd handle formoving the dog, and a 'spring in any position to which it muy''supporting wheels carried by the yokcs ad engaging the under surface toforce it into contact With ipa attached to the under- :tamme adapted toreturn the dog' to its normal position out of the path of movement ofthe projection.

9. 1n a device of the kind described, a longitudinal shaft, a pair oftransversely disposed yokes,iattaehed to said shaft adjacent its ends,supporting wheels carried by v the yokes adjacent their extremities, amoving chain, a sprocket in engagement with said chain and carried byone of said yokes and adapted to freely rotate in response to movementofthe chain and means for locking the sprocket against rotation.

l0. In a device of the kind described, a longitudinai shaft, a piatforintiltahly mounted thereon, ar pair of yokes having sprocket carried byone of the yokes in engageinent with the chain and adapted to freelyrotate in response to movement of the chain, a projection carried by thesprocket and rotated therewith and a dog adapted to be moved into thepath of movement of the projection to arrestthe movement of thesprocket.

1n testimony whereof, I have signed mv name to this` specification this15 March, 1917.

l CHARLES E. DRUM.

day df 3o

